Chapter 285: Sign The New Contract

Nick introduced the four actors to Briena. She had expected well-known and famous actors for such crucial scenes at a turning point in the female lead’s character arc, but instead, she was greeted by unfamiliar faces. The only notable thing about them was that all four were tall, handsome, and well-built men.

"Ms. Briena, if you’re not too tired, you can discuss the script with these four and plan before we start shooting the scenes tomorrow," Nick said. "Discussing with your co-actors will make it easier for you to act with them, ease any tension, and help you get familiar with them."

Briena glanced at Ana, who quickly responded, "Mr. Nick, Ms. Briena has been shooting for a long time today. We’ll take this revised script with us and read it tonight. Afterward, we can discuss it with the actors. Is that alright?"

"Of course, I don’t mind," Nick replied, though his tone carried a hint of skepticism. "Ms. Briena, I hope you’re not looking down on these new actors. If they were famous, you would have agreed right away."

"Ah... no, no, it’s not like that," Briena said quickly, glancing at the four actors, who looked slightly displeased by Nick’s comment. "I’m genuinely tired. Let’s go over the script tomorrow, alright?"

The actors remained silent while Nick said, "Alright. Rest well, Ms. Briena. See you soon." He then left with the four actors.

Once they were gone, Briena frowned and muttered, "When Dwen said they weren’t famous actors, I was at least expecting some recognizable faces. But these? Who these actors?"

"They’re... porn actors," Ana replied hesitantly.

Briena’s eyes widened in shock. "What? Why didn’t you tell me before?"

"I didn’t know either," Ana said.

"What should we do now?" Briena asked anxiously. "I can’t possibly work with porn actors. The scenes are about sexual abuse and the hardships the female lead faces... it won’t look good."

"We need to talk to Mr. Dwen. He’ll listen to us," Ana suggested.

The two quickly approached Dwen, who was just about to leave.

"Mr. Dwen, we need to talk," Ana said firmly.

Dwen stopped and turned to them with a polite smile. "Yes?"

"Mr. Dwen, those actors the company hired for the next scenes—they’re porn actors," Ana began hesitantly. "Even if they’re not famous, ordinary actors would have been fine, but ?"

"I understand your concern," Dwen said calmly. "But we made this decision after a lot of consideration. Every actor starts somewhere, and not everyone has the privilege, like Ms. Briena, to debut with a major production. These actors are well-trained for such emotionally and physically demanding scenes—training that even many renowned actors lack. Trust me, they’ll deliver performances so compelling that you’ll be utterly shocked.

"Who knows, one of these actors might get their breakthrough because of this opportunity. We shouldn’t look down on any artist based on their past work. After all, didn’t we sign for such a significant project when you were new to this field as well? If we had been judgmental about experience or background, we wouldn’t have signed you either. Every decision we make is deeply considered."

As Dwen laid out his reasoning, Ana and Briena were left speechless.

"Ms. Briena, just relax and trust the directors. Their efforts will only benefit you, helping you become famous and advancing your career," Dwen added.

The two could only nod as Dwen left.

"Seems like they’ve made up their minds," Ana said with a sigh.

"I’ll talk to Grandma and ask her to reach out to someone with enough influence to change their decision," Briena said firmly.

When Briena reached home, the first thing she did was talk to her grandmother, who readily agreed to help her.

—

The next day, Briena arrived on set, where Dwen had asked to see her. She walked in, feeling hopeful, assuming her grandmother had managed to intervene.

Dwen greeted her with a calm, unreadable expression as she sat down in the chair across from him.

"Ms. Briena, you can sign this," Dwen said, pushing a stack of documents toward her.

"What is it?" Briena asked as Ana picked up the papers to read them. Her eyes went wide with shock.

"These papers state that you are no longer part of this movie," Dwen said evenly. "We will be hiring another actress to replace you."

Briena froze in disbelief. "What? Are you playing some prank on me, Mr. Dwen?"

Mr. Dwen remained calm and unbothered by her reaction. "According to the contract you signed, we have the right to remove you from the movie if you fail to comply with our demands and refuse to work according to our plans. Since you are unwilling to do so, you can sign this, and we’ll hire another female lead in your place."

Briena was stunned. "How can you do this? I’ve already shot almost the entire movie, and—"

"You’ve seen how capable our team is and how efficiently we can work. We can always hire new actors and reshoot those scenes on a fast track. I’m certain many talented actresses would jump at the opportunity to take your place and complete the project swiftly. Please sign the papers."

Seeing how resolute Dwen was, the color drained from Briena’s face. In an instant, her dream of becoming a superstar was crumbling before her eyes. She couldn’t let this happen.

Ana, equally anxious, desperately wanted to resolve the situation.

"M-Mr. Dwen, you’ve misunderstood me," Briena said, pushing the papers back towards him. "I won’t sign them. I’ll follow the company’s plans and work accordingly."

"We find it hard to believe your words now, and we don’t want to waste more time in case you decide to back out again later," Dwen said firmly.

"I give you my word—it won’t happen," Briena said with unwavering determination.

Dwen pulled out another stack of documents and placed them in front of her. "We won’t trust words blindly. You’ll need to sign these papers to earn back our trust."

Briena picked up the papers and began reading them carefully while Dwen explained, "These terms state that you will work as per the script’s demands, and we are free to improvise scenes as we see fit. You have no right to question or doubt our decisions and must fully cooperate in filming all scenes as directed.

"We hold the rights to decide on what scenes to add or remove and the extent of exposure in these scenes. Backing out is not an option. If you do, you’ll be required to pay a hefty penalty. We can’t afford to take risks by trusting you blindly anymore."

Briena and Ana glanced at the penalty amount, their hearts skipping a beat. Was the fine equivalent to the entire movie’s budget?

The two women exchanged a nervous glance, but then Briena reasoned with herself:

"Alright, I’ll sign it," Briena said firmly, taking the pen and signing the papers. Ana didn’t stop her, sharing the same line of thought.

Dwen collected the signed documents and said, "Ms. Briena, you can start working with Nick today on those scenes with the four actors." With that, he turned and left the room.